Creating Websites

Websites can be created for multiple purposes. They are a form of composition that receives an authentic audience. With open source software, websites are now easy to make and this practice can be done with students. Moreover, the composition of websites includes following a writing process, but also thinking through a different organizational pattern than other types of writing. This skill can be helpful for reading websites and working through the composition and revision process of organization of a website as a particular genre.

Reasons to Create Websites

engages students
offers an opportunity to explore a new genre
provides a publishing opportunity and authentic audience
analysis of composing on the internet can be explored
serves multiple purposes for composition including composition of the website and the genre within websites
includes an opportunity to engage with multiple forms of media and composition of that media (audio, video, text, visuals are all included in websites)
practice in layout and formatting are part of website creation
provides an opportunity for various arrangements for collaboration
illustrates how easy it is to post a website online, which emphasizes the importance of critically reading websites
allows for various types of writing to be present in one collection; multigenre writing is clearly a part of websites

Ways to Use Websites with Students

students can post class notes online
network students to one another to discuss material or offer response to one another
create fictional blogs from various character's point of view (remember to offer a disclaimer about the fictional aspect)
create a fictional social network (which can be done in various programs that are not social networks - try a wiki or you could even do this with hyperlinks in Powerpoint) of characters, authors, people you are studying (again offer the disclaimer) and utilize the opportunity to show connections between the people of study (see Poet Wiki for an example)
students can publish their work online for feedback (blogs are helpful for this)
discussions can take place via websites
silent reading and response